Asheville Treehouse Builders Honor the American Chestnut
Some folks accent with wallpaper. Some, with paint. Us? We set off lighter walls with a very special wood that creates a striking contrast. It also happens to have an important story.
The darker wall on the left of the photo showcases American chestnut salvaged from an old barn in western North Carolina. The wood was planed down and oiled with linseed oil, and the high-contrast variegation you see is actually its original, natural color.
“It is a unique, one-of-a kind wood that is no longer commercially available because a chestnut blight cleared these trees out in the early 1900’s,” explains World Treehouses lead builder, Adam Laufer.
Adam sourced the special wood from a man nearby who clearly loves American chestnut. He has a whole kitchen full of custom cabinets made from it. The man has his own woodshop with plenty more of the wood to share. “Thanks to him,” says Adam, “we were able to showcase the rare wood from a tree that once towered over the southern Appalachian mountains.”
Now considered to be “functionally extinct,” a naturally occurring American chestnut tree may be a rare sight, indeed. But its memory is held in an honored place within our client’s beloved treehouse here in Western North Carolina.
World Treehouses of Asheville, NC’s skilled team can build you a one-of-a-kind treehouse or other tree project for living, gathering, playing, meditating, and connecting with nature. If you’d like to discuss a treehouse project on your land, contact us or click the button below. Or subscribe to our newsletter to inspire your treehouse dreaming.